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Nov 13 2014

Thurs | 7pm

Swiss Institute and Artbook invite you to join Hans Ulrich Obrist for the launch of his new book, Ways of Curating, published by FSG. The evening will feature readings and projects by Andrew Durbin, Deanna Havas, Ho Rui An and Sophia Le Fraga. All four poets were included in the inaugural 89plus exhibition, “Poetry will be made by all!”, co-curated by Obrist, Kenneth Goldsmith and SI Director Simon Castets at the LUMA Foundation in Zürich. The event will be introduced by Asad Raza, with whom Obrist produced Ways of Curating.

“Hans Ulrich Obrist curated his first exhibit in his kitchen when he was twenty-three years old. Since then he has staged more than 250 shows internationally, many of them among the most influential exhibits of our age.Ways of Curating is a compendium of the insights Obrist has gained from his years of extraordinary work in the art world. It skips between centuries and continents, flitting from meetings with the artists who have inspired him (including Gerhard Richter, Louise Bourgeois, and Gilbert and George) to biographies of influential figures such as Diaghilev and Walter Hopps. It describes some of the greatest exhibitions in history, as well as some of the greatest exhibitions never realized. It traces the evolution of the collections from Athanasius Kircher’s 17th-century Wunderkammer to modern museums, and points the way for projects yet to come. Hans Ulrich Obrist has rescued the word “curate” from wine stores and playlists to remind us of the power inherent in looking at art-and at the world-in a new way.”

Andrew Durbin is the author of Mature Themes (Nightboat Books, 2014). He is a contributing editor to Mousse and lives in New York. Deanna Havas was born in New York City in 1989, where she currently lives and works. She received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011. Her recent group exhibitions include “Reverly” at Kunsthalle Bern in Bern, Switzerland, “Heathers” at Rowing in London, and “Into You” at Running Residency, also in London. Her upcoming projects include a residency at Marbriers 4 in Geneva.Ho Rui An is an artist and writer working in the intersections of contemporary art, cinema, performance and theory. He has presented projects at Serpentine Galleries (London), Singapore Art Museum, LUMA/Westbau (Zürich) and Witte de With (Rotterdam) and is currently developing a body of work surrounding the solar unconscious of Empire that will premiere at the upcoming Kochi-Muzuris Biennale 2014. He is the Singapore desk editor for ArtAsiaPacific and has contributed to numerous catalogues and periodicals. In 2011, his first novel, Several Islands, was published by The Substation (Singapore). He lives and works in New York and Singapore.Sophia Le Fraga is the author of the artist book </V> (orworse, forthcoming), I RL, YOU RL (minutes BOOKS, 2013; Troll Thread, 2014), and the anti-plays W8ING 4 andTH3 B4LD 50PR4N0 (Gauss PDF, 2014). She teaches at BHQFU and is the poetry editor of Imperial Matters.

Asad Raza, the co-author of Ways of Curating, has contributed to exhibitions including A stroll through a fun palace, Venice Architecture Biennale (2014); Solaris Chronicles, LUMA Arles (2014); and Mayfield Depot, Manchester International Festival (2013). He also frequently collaborates with Tino Sehgal, and produced exhibitions of Sehgal’s works in the Roman Agora, Athens (2014); CCBB, Rio de Janeiro (2014); Tate Modern, London (2012); and the Guggenheim Museum, New York (2010). Raza’s writing has appeared in n+1, Newspaper Jan Mot, The New Yorker, The New York Times, 3quarksdaily, and TENNIS magazine.

Related Exhibitions

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: General view of the atmosphere at the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Deanna Havas attends the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Hans Ulrich Obrist attends the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Marina Abramaovic and Simon Castets attend the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Andrew Durbin attends the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Michelle Kuo and Hans Ulrich Obrist attend the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Hans Ulrich Obrist attends the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Ho Rui An attends the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Hans Ulrich Obrist attends the Swiss Institute launch celebration of Hans Ulrich Obrist's new book Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Sophia Le Fraga and Eileen Myles attend the Swiss Institute and Surface Magazine dinner celebrating the launch of Hans Ulrich Obrist's Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Ricardo Scofidio, Liz Diller and Simon Castets attend the Swiss Institute and Surface Magazine dinner celebrating the launch of Hans Ulrich Obrist's Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Molly Nesbit, Alice Weiner, Lawrence Weiner and Marina Abramovic attend the Swiss Institute and Surface Magazine dinner celebrating the launch of Hans Ulrich Obrist's Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jonas Mekas and Marina Abramovic attend the Swiss Institute and Surface Magazine dinner celebrating the launch of Hans Ulrich Obrist's Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Alex Israel and Francesca von Habsburg attends the Swiss Institute and Surface Magazine dinner celebrating the launch of Hans Ulrich Obrist's Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Bettina Korek and Marc Lotenberg attends the Swiss Institute and Surface Magazine dinner celebrating the launch of Hans Ulrich Obrist's Ways Of Curating on November 13, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Surface Magazine)